Schiff Applauds House Floor Vote to Recognize the Armenian Genocide
“We will never forget, not the Armenians, not the Jews, not the Kurds”
WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) released the following statement regarding the announcement that H.Res. 296, Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide, has been scheduled for a floor vote next week.
“Next week, the House will vote on H.Res. 296, the Armenian Genocide Resolution. This is a moment that has been years in the making, and I’m grateful for the tireless advocacy of so many who insisted that the United States must never be a party to genocide denial. In my years of advocacy for recognition, I have met countless survivors, and though their numbers have dwindled with the passage of time, their children and grandchildren carry forward their legacy. As we move towards a vote, their faces are seared into my memory, as are their stories of escaping the killing fields, surviving the death marches, and striving to build a new life as Americans, with tens of thousands who settled in Los Angeles.
“Recent weeks have brought images of families and children fleeing their homes in terror, headed to nowhere except away from the bombs and mortars. These images make the memory of one hundred years ago feel like yesterday. Denial of genocide causes pain to the survivors, yes, but it also gives succor to human rights abusers of today, who can rest easily that the passage of time and the accumulation of power will wipe clean their reputation. As Hitler said at the outset of the Holocaust, 'Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians.'
“We will never forget, not the Armenians, not the Jews, not the Kurds. And we will act with the same urgency to recognize the genocides of the last century as we do to halt the atrocities of today. I hope all Members will join me in support of H.Res. 296 next week.”
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